Cold calling? For many Gen Z sales newcomers, this is a foreign term. That's because they are social media natives. They don't use hotkeys - they post, like, and tweet. Why learn cold calling when you've grown up with Instagram? When your youth was defined by TikTok rather than landlines?
Try telling a 25-year-old to make 100 calls a day. Most would laugh at you because they know that social media is more effective. Yet many companies are still stuck in the old ways. "Social media is done on the side. It's just the trend at the moment." 🤡 But this "trend" is here to stay. And it won't just influence sales. It will dominate them. For companies that react too late, it will become a ticking time bomb.
To prevent that bomb from exploding, in this blog post, we will take you on a journey to discover how you can effectively use social media for your business sales activities.
What is social selling?
Social selling is a modern strategy where companies or individuals use social media to build relationships with potential customers, gain trust, and ultimately sell products or services. Instead of traditional cold calling, social selling is a way for companies and salespeople to leverage the reach of social networks such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. The focus is on building relationships and delivering value through relevant content and interactions to acquire and retain customers. Social selling uses social networks as a platform to engage, inform, and persuade potential customers.
But what isn't social selling? Social selling is not bombarding strangers with unsolicited posts and tweets. That's spam. And it's something to avoid at all costs.
Top 5 Reasons for Social Selling
Social selling offers several benefits.
1. It works: Not just because we say it does. LinkedIn's internal data proves it:
- Leading social selling companies generate 45% more sales opportunities than companies with low LinkedIn SSI.
- Companies prioritizing social selling are 51% more likely to meet their sales goals.
- 78% of companies that use social selling generate more revenue than companies that do not use social media.
2. It builds genuine relationships: Many events have been canceled recently due to the pandemic and fear of disease. This has shifted networking and relationship creation to the digital space, making social selling even more essential. By sharing knowledge and expertise, salespeople can position themselves as trusted sources - so-called thought leaders.
Social selling makes it possible to connect with prospects where they are already active: on social media. With social listening tools like Talkwalker, sales managers can go one step further and find leads already talking about your company, competitors, or industry. In other words, you'll be able to reach an audience already interested in your offer and connect with them authentically with the correct information at the right time. Authenticity builds trust - and that, in turn, can lead to loyal customers. Would you be interested in personal branding? Check out our blog post "Your Story, Your Brand: Mastering Personal Branding."
3. Increased reach and visibility: Social media increases companies' reach exponentially. By sharing relevant content and interacting with customers and prospects, companies can increase their visibility in the online world. Have you ever heard of employee advocacy? That's the technical term for it. It means that companies use the reach of their employees as brand ambassadors. Influencers for free. Got you curious? Then, please read our blog post on corporate influencers and employee advocacy.
4. Personalized communication: Social media allows companies to tailor their communication to the needs and interests of their target audience. This will enable them to communicate more personally with potential customers, increasing the chances of a successful sale.
5. Direct checkout: If you thought that social selling was only relevant to B2B companies, think again. Social selling and social commerce are closely related: Social selling is often the first step in engaging and persuading prospects on social media. By building relationships and sharing thought leadership content, companies can pique the interest of potential customers. Once customers have been exposed to the company through social selling strategies and trust has been built, they may be more willing to purchase products or services directly on the platform, which describes the transition to social commerce. Social selling and social commerce work together to optimize the buyer journey and promote customer loyalty. While social selling focuses on relationships and interactions, social commerce enables direct selling on the platforms where those relationships have been built. Companies can combine both approaches to maximize their social media sales opportunities.
What is the Social Selling Index?
If you've ever wondered how to measure your social selling success, LinkedIn's Social Selling Index (SSI) is the answer. That's because the Social Selling Index is the KPI that measures the success of companies' social selling efforts. Launched in 2014, the LinkedIn SSI has four main components:
- Professional Brand: This is about how well you have optimized your LinkedIn profile to position yourself as an expert. This includes a professional profile picture, a complete summary, and regular updates to your professional history. A strong profile builds trust and attracts prospects.
- Building Relationships: This section evaluates your ability to build relationships with potential clients and partners. This includes networking with relevant contacts, interacting with the content of those contacts, and maintaining those relationships.
- Content Sharing: This measures how regularly you share valuable content, whether in posts, articles, or comments. The quality and relevance of the content you share is important.
- Outlook: This section discusses using LinkedIn to identify, pursue, and successfully close business opportunities. This includes the use of LinkedIn for prospecting and sales activities.
The LinkedIn SSI is scored on a scale of 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating better implementation of social selling strategies. This index serves as a benchmark and provides users and companies with insight into their performance on LinkedIn and can help them improve their social selling efforts. LinkedIn often offers personalized recommendations and insights to help users improve their SSI scores and develop more successful social selling strategies.
Do you know where to find your LinkedIn SSI? Log in to your account & and go to the Social Selling Index Dashboard (you'll need a Sales Navigator account to do this). If you're learning your "score" for the first time, use it to improve your baseline - you'll already have some tips on improving your score.
Which networks are best for social selling?
Very clear? It depends.
On what exactly? Where do you meet your customers in the digital world? Is your business B2B or B2C? What is your target market? Depending on this, several platforms are particularly well suited for social selling:
1. LinkedIn:
We've already touched on this, and the very existence of the LinkedIn SSI shows that LinkedIn is undoubtedly one of the most important platforms for social selling. It is the world's largest business network. It offers a wide range of tools and features (e.g., Sales Navigator, InMail, Live, and Ads) that allow you to make business contacts, present yourself as an expert in your field, and target potential customers.
2. Xing:
Same but different. If you are active in German-speaking countries, Xing is an important platform for social selling. It is similar to LinkedIn and offers similar opportunities for networking and positioning as an expert.
3. X (former Twitter):
X (Twitter) focuses on real-time communication and interaction. It is an excellent way to draw attention to current issues and trends in your industry. Using hashtags and comments under other tweets, you can reach a wider audience and build relationships with other people. However, the limited number of characters does not lend itself well to sharing detailed expertise. For that, you should use LinkedIn, for example.
4. Facebook:
Facebook has a vast user base and is ideal for adding a personal touch to your social selling strategy. In addition to your company's Facebook page, you can use groups to connect with potential customers and gain deep insight into their needs.
5. Instagram:
Instagram is a visual platform that works well for industries that rely on images and visual content. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words. Use Instagram to showcase your products or services and tell stories creatively. Use hashtags and geotags to increase your reach and actively interact with your followers.
6. Pinterest:
Pinterest is ideal if visual content and inspiration play a role in your industry. Create boards with engaging images and infographics that appeal to your target audience. Pinterest users often look for ideas and products, making it a valuable place for social selling.
7. YouTube:
If you can produce high-quality videos, YouTube can be a valuable platform for your social selling strategy. After all, a picture is worth 100 words, but videos tell the best stories. You can share informative videos about relevant topics in your industry, offer tutorials, or conduct product launches. With YouTube, you can build a loyal following and increase your credibility.
While LinkedIn and Xing are more formal platforms and therefore predestined for B2B sales, the other five networks offer B2C companies (which by no means excludes B2B) many advantages in social selling & social commerce. Using multiple platforms to cover different aspects of your social selling strategy makes sense. Still, the critical component of social selling is creating real value for the target audience through informative content, active interaction, or personal relationships.
Conclusion
Social selling is a highly effective strategy for building relationships, gaining trust, and increasing sales success. Many are calling it the sales of tomorrow. Are they right? Only time will tell. In any case, there is no reason to ignore this low-hanging fruit in marketing. After all, social selling allows you to showcase your expertise and brand on social media platforms and make valuable connections. You can build long-term relationships and grow your business by interacting with prospects and providing relevant content.
But social selling isn't just about connecting with customers; it's also a valuable employer branding tool. Our free employer branding guide provides helpful information and strategies for strengthening your employer brand. Building an attractive employer brand and actively participating in social networks helps you attract talent and increase your visibility as an employer.
Download our Employer Branding Guide now and learn how to strengthen your employer brand to attract more talent and drive your business forward.
